There are many ways to do fine work. One approach is for people to embody a certain spirit and demonstrate savvy on the way towards producing success. Let’s explore these themes.
Spirit
Great workers sometimes embody a certain kind of spirit and aim to follow certain principles in their lives and work. They may also aim to serve something greater than themselves.
The principles they follow may be based on a spiritual faith, philosophy or guidelines about how to live a good life. They then aim to translate these into action on the way towards achieving their goals.
Some individuals remind themselves of these principles every day. They measure their life by the extent to which they follow these principles during their time on the planet. Sometimes this can lead to them having a sense of peace.
During my life I have met many such people. They have been carers, educators, therapists, gardeners, environmentalists, medics, artists and people in other professions.
Such people sometimes going being spiritual. Some also have another quality which may sound paradoxical. Let’s consider this quality that they demonstrate in their life and work.
Savvy
Different people have savvy in different areas. They may then apply it when doing certain activities, dealing with certain challenges or working towards certain goals. There are several definitions for the word savvy. Here is one view:
Somebody with savvy has the ability to apply their experience and expertise to achieve success in certain situations.
Some people may demonstrate this in some areas but not in others. A person may have the savvy needed to thrive in academia, for example, but not in the commercial world. And vice versa.
Looking back, can you think of a person who demonstrated savvy in a particular activity? How did they apply their experience and expertise to deliver success? What happened as a result of them taking those steps?
Success
Different people have different definitions of success. Much depends on the person and the context.
A care worker may see it as helping a person to feel better. An educator may see it as helping students to develop skills they can use to shape their futures. A leader may see it as building a culture that helps its stakeholders to succeed.
Looking back, can you think of a person who used their spirit and savvy to deliver success? How did they translate this into action? What happened as a result of them taking these steps?
People may show some but not all of these elements. Some people embody a certain spirit but have little savvy. Some have savvy but you are unsure about their spirit. Some combine each of these qualities and deliver success.
Can you think of a specific activity where you demonstrate elements of this approach? How you can you continue to follow your chosen spirit and demonstrate savvy when doing this activity? What may happen as a result of taking these steps?
If you wish, try tackling the exercise on this theme. This invites you to complete the following sentences.
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